Next week, September 28 through October 3, is Banned Books Week, an annual event celebrating our freedom to read. This coming Monday at 5:00 p.m. CDT, Banned Books Week is presenting a Facebook LIVE conversation with comics creator Gene Luen Yang. The event will be moderated by Lisa Fink from the National Coalition of Teachers of English (NCTE) and our very own Education Coordinator Karen Evans!
The discussion will include the censorship of Yang’s work, the use of comics in classrooms, and identity and representation in literature. It we also be your chance to ask any question you have as the event will end with a Q&A with Yang.
How can you attend?
- Make sure you like NCTE on Facebook.
- At 5:00 p.m. CDT on September 28, go to Facebook and look at the News Feed.
- Click Watch in the Navigation Panel on the left. (Click See More if you don’t see Watch in the list.)
- After clicking Watch, click Live in the Navigation Panel on the left.
You can also go directly to facebook.com/live to access Facebook livestreams or the video section of NCTE’s Facebook page to access the event.
Join Banned Books Week for this event and check back every day for other great offerings! You can find the entire week of events here.
About Gene Luen Yang
Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), New Super-Man from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, and he is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature with the Library of Congress.
- Website: https://geneyang.com/
- Twitter: @geneluenyang
- Facebook: @GeneLuenYang
About NCTE
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) supports teachers and their students in classrooms, on college campuses, and in online learning environments. For more than 100 years, NCTE has worked with its members to offer journals, publications, and resources; to further the voice and expertise of educators as advocates for their students at the local and federal levels; and to share lesson ideas, research, and teaching strategies through its Annual Convention and other professional learning events.
About the Banned Books Week Coalition
The Banned Books Week Coalition is an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship.
The Banned Books Week Coalition includes American Booksellers Association; American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of University Presses; Authors Guild; Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE); Freedom to Read Foundation; Index on Censorship; National Coalition Against Censorship; National Council of Teachers of English; PEN America; People For the American Way Foundation; and Project Censored. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Banned Books Week also receives generous support from DKT Liberty Project and Penguin Random House.
- Website: https://bannedbooksweek.org/
- Twitter: @BannedBooksWeek
- Instagram: @banned_books_week
- Facebook: @bannedbooksweek